ASHBURN, Va. — His voice about to crack, Colt McCoy lamented the neck injury that has brought his season to an early end.
The Washington Redskins placed McCoy on injured reserve Tuesday with a sprained neck, the latest twist in an improbable season for a journeyman who arrived as a third-stringer and eventually won the confidence of coach Jay Gruden and offensive co-ordinator Sean McVay.
"I’m pretty emotional about it, because I do feel comfortable here," McCoy said. "I feel that Jay and Sean and I see eye-to-eye on a whole lot of things and see the field the same way, and I felt like there were a lot of positive things ahead for me. And I’m not saying there isn’t still; I’m just frustrated that I’m not going to finish the season up with my teammates."
McCoy hadn’t started a game since 2011, but he leapfrogged Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins and ended up appearing in five games with four starts. He only won one of those starts — a Monday night upset of the Dallas Cowboys — but he had a respectable 96.4 passer rating despite taking 17 sacks.
McCoy hurt his neck two games ago in the fourth quarter of a 24-0 loss to the St. Louis Rams, then aggravated the injury during a promising first drive in Sunday’s 24-13 defeat to the New York Giants.
"I felt like we had them right where we wanted them last week, and it’s just unfortunate," McCoy said. "And it’s almost hard for me to talk about because I know what good things were coming."
Griffin replaced McCoy in both games and will start Saturday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
McCoy spent Monday undergoing tests at the hospital, where doctors told him it would be best not to play again this season. He said there are not any expected long-term effects from the injury, and that he should be fully healthy in a few weeks.
The quarterback situation has been a mess all season for the Redskins, but McCoy made it clear he wants another chance next year.
"I certainly feel like I’m a fit here," he said.
The team replaced McCoy on the roster by promoting linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat from the practice squad.
